Everything to Know About 'All Quiet on the Western Front'
The film is up for nine Oscars and won seven BAFTA Awards, including Best Film.
All Quiet on the Western Front has a new full-color version, bringing the classic book to life—and showing an even more devastating view of the harrowing realities of the Great War.
Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran and journalist, wrote the 1928 book and was forced into exile in Switzerland for criticizing the war and the government.
"This German world bestseller is able to convey the inhuman terror of war, perhaps more impressively than any other literary work," Edward Berger, director of the new Netflix adaptation, said in a statement. "For me, creating its first German film adaptation is one of the most exciting challenges of all."
Find out all about the movie and previous adaptations of the novel, as well as why the novel was so incredibly groundbreaking and important.
Related: The 50 Best War Movies of All Time
Is there a movie for All Quiet on the Western Front?
Netflix released All Quiet on the Western Front on its platform on Oct. 28, 2022. The film is based on a book, which had previously been adapted into a movie in 1930. A made-for-TV movie was also released in 1979.
How many movies have been made of All Quiet on the Western Front?
The 2022 Netflix release of All Quiet on the Western Front is the third movie adaptation of the novel. The first version was released in 1930 and is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. The second version was a made-for-TV movie that was released on CBS in 1979.
Is All Quiet on the Western Front anti-war?
All Quiet on the Western Front is fervently anti-war, both in its original novel form and new film adaptation.
Director Edward Berger told The Guardian that his version of the movie was designed to show war "from the point of view of a societal understanding which is very specifically German, that embraces the guilt that is also connected to the memory of the first world war ... Hopefully it helps to understand that nothing good can come from war. We all know it, but we seem to be forgetting it at every turn.”
Related: M*A*S*H* Trivia
What is the significance of the movie All Quiet on the Western Front?
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
The movie is based on the classic novel of the same name. The book is a famous anti-war story set during World War I. It tells the story of several German soldiers who deal with physical and emotional stress during their time on the front line of war and also when they return home (that is, if they were lucky enough to make it back). The movie and book are often included in school curriculums, but both were banned in Nazi Germany.
The 2022 version is in German, which director Edward Berger said was deliberate to give a "German perspective" on the war. “In Germany, the memory of World War I was displaced by memories of German atrocities committed in World War II,” he told The Guardian. “For us [war] has a lot to do with shame, with feelings of guilt and pain. This is precisely what we wanted to convey.”
Is All Quiet on the Western Front available on Netflix?
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
The newest film, All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), is available exclusively on Netflix.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video's FreeVee.
The 1930 version is available for rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV, Vudu, and YouTube.
Related: What Was Queen Elizabeth II's Job in World War II?
How many Oscar nominations did All Quiet on the Western Front get?
All Quiet on the Western Front had nine Academy Award nominations in 2023. Here they all are:
Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best International Feature Film
Best Original Score
Best Sound
Best Production Design
Best Cinematography
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Best Visual Effects
The film also won seven BAFTA Awards out of 14 nominations (including Best Film) and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Motion Pictures — Foreign Language.
Who is in the All Quiet on the Western Front cast?
Daniel Brühl stars as Matthias Erzberger, who is based on a real German citizen who spoke out against World War I after serving in the army.
The main lead is Felix Kammerer as Paul Baumer, a student who lies about his age to join the army. In the novel, Baumer narrates the story. The full cast includes:
Daniel Brühl as Matthias Erzberger
Netflix
Felix Kammerer as Paul Baumer
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
Aaron Hilmer as Albert Kropp
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
Edin Hasanovi? as Tjaden Stackfleet
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
Devid Striesow as General Friedrichs
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
Albrecht Schuch as Stanislaus Katczinsky
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
Moritz Klaus as Frantz Müller
Adrian Grünewald as Ludwig Behm
Is there an All Quiet on the Western Front trailer?
Netflix released a trailer for All Quiet on the Western Front on Sept. 6, 2022. The film would then go on to premiere at the Toronto Annual Film Festival 2022. It debuted on Netflix on Oct. 28, 2022.
How can I watch All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)?
All Quiet on the Western Front premiered on Netflix on Oct. 28, 2022. Anyone with a Netflix account will be able to watch it. The film also premiered on Sept. 12, 2022, at the 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival.
Related: The Best Sun Tzu Quotes From The Art of War and More
How many movie versions of All Quiet on the Western Front are there?
So far, there have been three movie versions of All Quiet on the Western Front.
The first, released in 1930, is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and was the first "talkie" movie to win Oscars (for Best Director and Outstanding Production). It was banned in Nazi Germany for its anti-German and anti-war messaging.
All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) was a TV movie that won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Made for Television, as well as an Emmy for Outstanding Film Editing for a Limited Series or Special.
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) is the third film adaptation of the iconic book.
Where was All Quiet on the Western Front filmed?
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
Filming for the newest release of All Quiet on the Western Front occurred in March 2021 in Prague, Czech Republic. The story is mostly set at the frontlines of the German army during World War I. During the war, the western front ran from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier.
How accurate was All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)?
The novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a fictional account of the author's experiences during World War I. The 1979 movie is also fictionalized story, although it is often considered to be a relatively accurate depiction of soldiers' experiences during the war. It shows both the horrors of war and the terrible living conditions of life on the front.
Why did the students join the army in All Quiet on the Western Front?
Reiner Bajo/Netflix
The students join the army after hearing patriotic speeches from their teacher, Kantorek. The speeches turned out to be propaganda and the boys' experiences in the army are terrible. One of the students, Paul Baumer, narrates the story.
Related: How to Help Military Families and Veterans
What does it mean when someone says "all quiet on the Western front?"
The title All Quiet on the Western Front is an ironic one that comes from a post-script in the book: It reveals that the protagonist Paul is killed in October 1918—a month before Armistice Day. It is described as a day of such little fighting that the military sent out a two-line memo that read, "All quiet on the Western front."
In everyday use, it's often meant to convey a lack of change or a general stagnation—for better or worse. The direct translation of the phrase from its original German is closer to "There was nothing new to report on the Western front."
Why was All Quiet on the Western Front book banned?
The book All Quiet on the Western Front was banned in Germany by Hitler's regime due to its anti-war themes. The book was also banned in Austria, Poland, Italy, France and Australia. Despite this, it grew in popularity and is now considered a modern classic.
Was All Quiet on the Western Front a true story?
While the historical events and setting of All Quiet on the Western Front were all too real, the actual story is a work of fiction.